The day of wishes
I was sitting motionless in the alley, Snow drifting in the stagnant air. One might have mistaken me for a lifeless bird, heap of feathers, waste, thrown away, rubbish. I might as well have been. No one seemed willing to pay me any thought of mind. No kindness for gryphons. Trash I was to them, trash I would always be. My wings were frozen stiff, my fur held clumps of snow, what little clothing I had was swathed around me like rags, all I was, exposed to the world. Yet not colt nor filly would pay me a inkling of their time, not to offer clothes, not to give a bit out of sympathy, not to even to force upon me service. no, nothing. Why? A black beak, a lion tail, and falcon wings.
At this time of year... I felt it might be better to throw myself off Canterlot's heights, or drown myself in the oldtown fountain. Though I was sure the former would draw more "positive" attention, something I did not have the pleasure of knowing in life. The nobles make such a fuse when an "unspeakable horror" happens in their districts, though, most likely, the horror would not be in the sad death of a young gryphon girl, but in my muddy foot prints or scanty cloths. Foolishness I would never get tired of giggling at, along with the rest of Canterlot's most unfortunate, though even among them, I could not share any mirth. Love, business, family, religion, art, patriotism. All were nothing but shadows when a man is starving, that was truth I knew. But it seemed as though one word never grew dull. fear.
Even the other vagrants hated me... the colts would throw rocks, the fillies would scream, old men spit and women beat me with rags. Some of which I was currently wearing. For thirteen years that had been my life, thievery was my way to survive. But right now, on a bed of flattened filth, snowfall a freezing constant, I felt I was not in the condition to move, much less steal from under the weary noses of the shop keeps. The alleyway, once dark, now shined with light, my surprise was calmed by the memory of six years previous, today was the Festival of Twilight. I looked up, the sky now filled with so many twinkling stars, so thick and bright that the darkness was almost driven away. This would last the entire night, with one star at the center of it all, a bright purple star, brighter than any other. Today was a day of wishes, and I knew what mine was:
"Please do not let me be alone." I sputtered. I felt at that time I was not foolish enough to place my faith in a star, but it was not as if it could do me harm, being as I was nearly past-tense. I sat up, starring at the sky for a bit, till my hunger drove me forward. Perhaps today was my lucky day, most eyes would be on the sky, spattered with all the colors of an encompassing rainbow. Red, blue, purple, green, pink, I myself could barely keep mine from wandering upwards.
I stumbled forward, holding my stomach, which gurgled in protest, down the alley. Coming to a stop at one of the outcroppings of a building near the exit. Wiggling my claws, I stuck them into the holds I had gotten so used to climbing, and away I went. Up and up, fifty feet till I came to the roof, where I hopped out, clutching edge of the gutter and flapping a few times to gain altitude. Once I had scrambled onto the roof I turned, looking out over the lower platform, the massive construction. which held most of the new city, the old town being the terrace directly above, and exactly where I needed to go. Stealing from Canterlot poor may have been easy, but I would never let go of that guilt. What would Pucaerin say if he knew? If he saw me disrespect his memory? I missed him. He was the closest thing to a father I ever had.
Roof to roof I trod. Slowly gaining ground, inching forward. Soon I'd have to fly, they never let anything other than Unicorns, humans, and demi-humans through the old gates, and getting there in a hurry was my priority, which would not be what I was doing if I tried to sneak in. Speed was my one ally, it hadn't failed me yet.
I landed a short while later near the closest market, my stiff wings aching from the brief flight. My steps as silent as a mouse, my breathe controlled and easy, despite the cold air and frozen stone not to mention my stomach. I slowly made my way through the alleys, my eye focused on one stall, a meat stall, placed mostly for the pleasure of the humans, and run by a older gentlecolt and a faun girl, their stall was almost directly behind the alley, facing off the the side a little bit, with some boxes and barrels in the front. If I could just get in between the boxes and quickly snatch some meat from cutting board I'd be eating well for weeks. I slowly made my way, sprinting into safety at last second, sliding into place between the barrels, boxes and stall. I hunkered down, my back against the hard wooden frame of the stall, my view of the rest of the market cut off. I looked right, only a few unicorns and humans stood on hooves and feet, looking up at the bright sky in awe. Had to do this fast as always.
The stall bent a bit as someone rested themselves on it, I looked up to see the chin and bushy mustache of the older stallion butcher, pushing my heart into overdrive and causing my body to flush with anxious heat.
"Ah, what can I do for you young Western?" his strong accent giving him away as a northern earth pony, funny considering he had a horn.
"Oh, just come to look at your stock," a young man replied, probably a peasant, no sophisticated accent or edge to his voice and most defiantly human, considering his wretched smell.
"Well, we ave' beef, pork, venison, rabbit leg... eh, sorry, but that's all right now, we're runnin' a wee bit low on bits this year, and me' lads took all the poultry an' good ham for tonight's supper."
"No problem at all old timer, just came for some ham," the man tossed a few bits over the barrels, I watched the two gold beauties fly over me, money that could probably feed me for a week, flashing before my eyes. I almost snapped them out of the air but for the fear of the butcher.
"Alright then, five pounds," The stall began to shiver and quake as the butcher did his work. Cleaver rhythmically ascending and descending, hitting the oak board with enough force to cleanly cut through bone. "Lovely night ain't it?"
"Yes indeed, I understand it hold some sort of religious value for poniefolk?" Seemed no one noticed me.
"He, not from around here are you?" The butcher was always jovial of speech, he laughed too much in my opinion.
"I would say so." The human said.
"Yes, an old legend of ours, back when the tribes where one big nation..." He stopped speaking as he finished his cuts. I had to get that meat and get out of here. It didn't matter if they saw me, I needed to eat so badly, I would ether get the meat or die trying. I placed my claws on the sides of the stall, preparing them to jump up and retrieve my supper. Five... Four... Three... Two... One... I sprang up, ready to grab the pork and booked it, but my body had other plans, turned out not eating for days on end can really do a number on your bodies' ability to do. My vision grew dark and I collapsed, falling face first onto the cutting board with an unceremonious thud. "N-no..." I muttered. Yep, I thought, this is the end.
"Holy Barriel!" the butcher shouted, his hands flying upwards, the shock from his face, "A gryphon?!" I shut my eyes waiting for the chop. It didn't come. Aside from a few exclamations from the surrounding audience nothing happened, until the butcher bodily hefted me up from my final resting place. "Aye! Come on lass! Pry those lids open for me and look at me." I did, and what I saw nearly scared the piss out of me. His mussel was huge! The gray fur with black spots seemed to compliment his aura of imposing size and physical strength, the close cut inky black mane spotted with grey and obsidian horn added to my terror. I'd never seen him up close, mostly because I liked to stay away from this market. Reason being the faun the old unicorn was always with. Stories about fauns anger were legendary. He continued to stare at me, with his countenance taking on a puzzling shade. "Ah, come on now, don't give me that look. Mara!" He called. I heard little hooves steps on the stone, and a silky voice, as well as beautiful eyes come into my blurred vision. Long red hair, high cheek bones, and big eyes. I was going to die here.
"Oh my dearest! She's thin as a chewed twig!" That was not the expected reaction. "Cutter, please, set her down."
"Can I be of assistance?" The human asked.
"Perhaps-" Cutter was cut off when the young man started up again,
"I have hunters rights and restraints," No! Please, Don't! "I could easily take it-" He barely had started speaking when the stallion returned his haste in kind.
"No! I already have this well under-" The butcher began, only to be served the same treatment by his partner.
"Excuse us bounty hunter, we have this under control. We do not need to resort to such brutish measures on a child." Mara said, "No matter their appearance".
"Mam. It's only a Gryph-"
"We have this under control," she repeated, her expression growing dark, "and we do not need your help. Cutter, help me with this poor thing will you?" Mara said looking at the young man with an eyebrow raised in defiance. I could not believe this, they were protecting me.
"Sure thing." He said, lifting me up once more and tucking me gently into the crook of his arm as Mara looked scornfully at the young man.
"Anything else?"
"I think I'll just take my ham and watch how this plays out." he said, the man certainly had commitment. Mara stared, this nodded curtly. She turned back to Cutter
"Well, little one why don't you just come with us? I promise warm beds and a feast for you." Cutter said, and despite my feeble protests that was just what my hope was. I couldn't fathom my luck, and so only shook with fear. "What a lucky star that sent you to our stall, eh Mara?" he rolled his eyes over to the Faun, and she smiled at me. It was so, nice. I almost forgot myself.
"A theft of jewels and gold is one thing, but a theft of meat is different. A child that is of Luck-lost I say. I'm glad to have met you little one. But don't think its all good heart you know? After Luck's own heart I am, and lucky is the man who gives gifts of fortune." She followed us as did the young man, though he always stayed well behind us, probably wanted a refund. We made our way through the streets, arriving a few blocks away at a small cottage tucked between two massive buildings. I looked up at it wearily. I may have been out of my mind with fear, right now I was too hungry to care. But, I suppose there was one thing that held my concern, or rather, my excitement. For better or worse, today I had something to be thankful for. A wish was answered.
I wasn't alone.